Unless you have been living under a rock for the last five years, you will likely be well associated with the term ‘ick’ and probably even have some of your own.
The term rose to popularity in the summer of 2017 when Love Island contestant Olivia Attwood taught her fellow co-stars exactly what having the ‘ick’ entails. When explaining the phenomenon, Olivia said, “It’s caught you, and it’s taken over your body. It’s just ick. I can’t shake it off.”
Icks differ from person to person, but their premise stays the same. In relation to its counterpart ‘turn-offs’, icks are a general dislike of the behaviour, action, or character of a romantic relationship in someone’s life. With that said, the ick seems to occur at a much smaller scale, and some even believe icks to be petty. However, one thing that rains true is that no matter what the ick is, is that it is undeniably hard to overlook.
So we put the question to you: ‘what are your funniest icks?’ and the answers were great and expectedly relatable. Here is a round-up of some of your best answers, for humour’s sake.
“Imagining them trying to open something on a first date and struggling”
This was the first answer I received and undoubtedly the most amusing. Failing to open something is naturally embarrassing, but imagining a potential date not being able to do so is strangely off-putting.
“People who post their entire existence on social media”, “when they take too many selfies”, and “when they have too many followers”
Social media presence seemed to be a trending answer for many. Several answers referred to people’s following numbers and further implied that a lack of privacy was cause for concern – or rather, icky.
you really can’t un-ick the ick once the icks starts icking. damn.
— dujonna gift (@dujonna_) October 8, 2022
“People who put eyelash accessories on cars”, “having a ford KA”, and “when people name their cars”
Another popular offender was anything vehicle-related. Headlight eyelashes are definitely a thing of the past but the general disgust when you spot the rarity still persists. Likewise, naming your car is a very recently-passed-their-test trait but it is still quite sickenly entertaining.
“People who say something, don’t get heard and then say it again” and “repeating a joke thinking no one heard but they did and it just wasn’t funny”
I don’t think there is anything worse than having to repeat yourself when someone does not hear you. I cannot speak for others but when this is me, I can quite literally feel myself turning red – it is shameful. However, when the person is repeating themself until they get a reaction, it is so icky.
“When they call you their bird” and “when they text you “hey” and nothing else”
It’s the lack of effort with these ones that make people’s behaviour so unappealing. “Bird” is an obviously outdated sexist term and many women have opposed being referred to it. Similarly, there is nothing worse than just getting the text “hey” – it begs so many questions. What was your incentive for messaging? Could you not think of something to talk about? The mind boggles.
when they give me the ick pic.twitter.com/VHbkwIL5lM
— april (@apesgonewiild) October 10, 2022
“He used hair gel”, “when they use sunbeds” and “when they wear too much cologne/perfume”
Ah, the old vanity ick. Alongside taking too many selfies, many people shared that their icks related to one’s hygiene, or their journey to narcissism. When asked to explain what they meant about “too much cologne/perfume”, one reader said that it was an ick because they were clearly trying too hard and did not realise the extremity they had gone to.
“When sports is their personality” and “when all they do is go clubbing”
With the demographic of responses mainly coming from NTU students, it is easy to see why these were put forward. NTU is known for its many sports societies, and better-known for its society night out – Ocean. The two go hand-in-hand really. There’s no shame in enjoying your hobby or spending your free time clubbing but when it becomes the forefront of your personality then you may want to reevaluate your choices.
“When they only drink beer”
Not unsurprisingly this was one of the more popular answers. There is definitely a specific group of people who believe that drinking just beer is some form of elitism. The worst part has to be the stubborn denial to even consider trying anything but beer.
I have to admit that most of the responses were put forward by women and are of course situation-dependent but that does not take away from the hilarity and mutual understanding of most of these. What are the funniest icks that you have experienced? Feel free to share in the comments.
Lead Image Credit: Katie Mortimer